


What's In A Name?

by knightlyss



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, but she still loves them, drift compatible dorks, octavia is surrounded by idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 12:29:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6804079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightlyss/pseuds/knightlyss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her name was Fury Lancer, and she was an absolute beauty with a boring name. At least Clarke told Octavia as much the next day, sitting together at lunch with Bellamy, who was more interested in the book he was reading, but still offered a noise of affirmation.</p><p>“At least it's not called something like Red Lightning,” Octavia offered, and Clarke nearly choked on her food. Slapping her on the back, Octavia continued casually, “and if you hate the name so much, you can always change it.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's In A Name?

 

 

Octavia finds them in the cafeteria, sitting across from each other with a notebook spread out on the table between them.

 

Cautiously, she approaches the table, tray in hand, sitting down and observing her two favourite people in the world. Clarke's doodling flowers and random patterns in the margin of the notebook, while Bellamy stares at the names in front of him, deep in thought, his pencil stuck behind his ear.

 

“Any luck?” Octavia asks around an apple, earning a glare from her brother.

 

“Not unless you count Solar Endeavor and Phantom Tornado among your favourites,” Clarke says almost sourly, swirling her own pen on the paper and creating a spiral. Shaking her head, Octavia has to agree, those are not good names for them.

 

It had started by accident mostly, shortly after Bellamy and Clarke became co-pilots.

 

By some trickster god's hand or fate itself, her brother and her best friend were drift compatible, for all the good that it would do them. At first, they had resisted it wholeheartedly, demonstrated by screaming matches and actual fist fights, to the point where Octavia wasn't sure who she should be more scared over: Clarke's terrifyingly quick reflexes, or Bellamy's ruthlessness. Marshall Kane had had to step in during their first sparring match, where her brother's idiocy had come into play, taunting Clarke and calling her names. The resulting brilliant shiner in three different shades of purple proved to him just how much of a princess she really was.

 

Octavia knows what changed, but refuses to intrude on their privacy.

 

Drifting together is another level of intimacy that she has yet to experience, still being a cadet in training herself. To be perfectly honest, she doesn't even want to partner up with anyone, except Bellamy maybe, once, too caught up in the training and actually being by herself for the first time in her life. She's in no rush to find someone. Still, she knows what happens in the drift, and what it can do to a person, especially after Monty and Jasper told her, after drifting together for the first time. She can still remember their slightly shaken body language mixed with the brightest of smiles, as they explained that all they saw was each other. Monty and Jasper had known each other since day one, grown up together, so drifting had been close to a piece of cake for them. They already knew each other's darkest secrets, and had passed their simulations and actual test run with flying colours, much to the dismay of some of the other cadets.

 

Bellamy and Clarke's first time drifting had apparently been a disaster. Reluctantly, the two had admitted just how compatible they were after a few following sparring sessions, during which they had succeeded in not actually hurting each other, and Kane had given them the green light to try it out.

 

 _Mistake_ , Octavia's mind had practically screamed, thinking of all the things that Bellamy had experienced, what Clarke could see. What she would experience herself. A girl like her couldn't possibly understand the hell Octavia and her brother had been through, and the warning lights had flashed inside her brain even as Bellamy shot her a smirk as he walked away, dressed in black drift armor. Clarke had been no better, nodding tightly and sending her a silly salute, trying to downplay her own nervousness. Octavia knew them better than that by now; It was obvious that they were both scared shitless.

 

It was probably a good thing that Octavia hadn't been present during the calibration, considering all that went down. Their neural handshake had gone perfect, vital signs proved stable, and the next thing she knew, her training session had erupted into chaos. She had arrived inside the Shatterdome just as Bellamy and Clarke exited their Jaeger, both looking stiff and uncomfortable as they walked in opposite directions.

 

Later, rumors would persist that their session had rivaled that of the infamous Gypsy Danger incident in Hong Kong, complete with eye accounts of said Jaeger having raised both it's arms, poised and ready to launch.

 

Clarke and Bellamy didn't speak for a week after that. They trained together, sure, but Octavia spent as much time with them as she could, and the only sounds ever shared between them were the occasional grunt when one of them would fall flat on their back, or the huff when one would hit the other too hard. With this came a new development however, evident in the way they started to behave around each other. At lunch, Octavia noticed that they didn't like sitting too far apart from each other, but not too close either, a two-table distance being the maximum. Observing them training one day, she noticed that Bellamy was nowhere near gentle, Clarke just as vicious with her jabs and kicks. It was almost as if they were trying to break each other, and that worried Octavia more than anything. But it seemed to be working for them.

 

They were officially assigned their Jaeger two weeks later.

 

Her name was Fury Lancer, and she was an absolute beauty with a boring name. At least Clarke told Octavia as much the next day, sitting together at lunch with Bellamy, who was more interested in the book he was reading, but still offered a noise of affirmation.

 

“At least it's not called something like Red Lightning,” Octavia offered, and Clarke nearly choked on her food. Slapping her on the back, Octavia continued casually, “and if you hate the name so much, you can always change it.”

 

“Not officially,” Bellamy cut in, looking up from his book. “The name is usually chosen by the manufacturers or the original owners. Technically Fury is a hand-me-down, so the name sticks.”

 

“We could still change the name. Just for us,” Clarke added, looking at Bellamy, who shrugged.

 

“Sure thing, Princess. Make sure to pick something girly.”

 

The silence that had stretched between them after that was thick, tension swallowing them whole, as Clarke had said nothing in reply. Instead, she had stood up, taking her tray with her and depositing everything in a nearby trashcan, before stomping away. Confused, Octavia had turned to Bellamy to find him looking at the book in front of him with renewed interest. “What was that about?”

 

“Forgot she hates being called that,” Bellamy had muttered, cheeks flaming.

 

Luckily, Clarke forgave him the next day, bringing a notebook to lunch, and they had started brainstorming immediately. They were on day three, if Octavia's internal calendar was correct.

 

“How about Icarus?”

 

“Our Jaeger can't fly, Bellamy,” Clarke snorts.

 

“So?” he asks, earning a pointed look from his co-pilot. He looks to Octavia, who only holds her hands up in surrender, refusing to partake. It's much more fun just observing. Shrugging, he turns his attention back to the notebook. “Fine. How about Augustus?”

 

“No. And it has to be two names.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It just does,” Clarke rolls her eyes.

 

They have come up with four more possibly names by the time they are joined by a slew of friends and fellow cadets. “Orion Invader? Really, man?” Miller asks, glaring at Bellamy, who only smirks knowingly. Octavia can't help but smile, remembering all too well how much her brother loves myths and history. Clarke's head is probably filled to the brim with all this useless nonsense now, after sharing all that mind space with her co-pilot. Poor girl.

 

“What about Echo Hybrid?” Harper cuts in, leaning over Octavia's shoulder to look at the page. “That sounds badass.”

 

“But does it sound like _them_?” Monroe counters. Harper scrunches her nose up at the thought, confirming to Octavia that no, it definitely does not. Bellamy and Clarke are forces of nature, and Octavia knows that they are subconsciously looking for a name that could match the storms inside of them. She also knows that they are looking too hard, but that is a whole other matter.

 

“What about Phantom Menace? Or Death Star?” Raven smirks, sitting down beside Clarke and throwing an arm around her shoulder. Clarke practically blanches.

 

“Whose idea was it to let you watch Star Wars again, Raven?”

 

“Hey, all I'm saying is that those movies are the shit.”

 

“And every time they rebuilt that damned star, it got blown up. Veto,” Bellamy states, the corner of his mouth tugging up as he noticed how Raven pouts.

 

“Oh, can we choose any name? I mean, does it have to be so serious, or can we call it something like Beanie Meanie?”

 

“Fuck yeah, dude,” Jasper laughs, high-fiving Miller, while Monty watches them fondly. Clarke closes her eyes, looking pained.

 

“Okay, no.”

 

“Why?” Jasper whines.

 

“Because I don't want my Mark-4 Jaeger to sound like a nursery rhyme!”

 

Octavia laughs, taking another bite of her apple, looking at her friends with awe. It's still quite unbelievable to find herself in this situation, when years before, she had barely had a roof over her head or food to eat. Here at Arkadia, it didn't matter where you came from, only how well you fought for what you believed in. Everyone are treated equally, regardless of age and gender, and she has never felt more at home than when she is here, among all these people that consider her a human being. It somehow hurts, but in a good way.

 

“What about something that reflects your first days together? Like... Thumb War?”

 

Bellamy barely manages to stay alive, choking pitifully on his sip of water. “You're comparing me and Clarke's first fight to a thumb war?” he asks Monroe hoarsely, and Octavia notices the smirk playing on the girl's lips.

 

“If the shoe fits. You're not exactly menacing, Blake. You're more like a big puppy.”

 

“I'm taller than you,” Bellamy grumbles, as if that retort will save his dignity.

 

“Renegade Blue doesn't sound half bad,” Monty says with a smile, and the rest of the table laughs. “What? It doesn't.”

 

“I think I like Fury Lancer better,” Clarke says with a shrug, throwing Monty one of her brilliant smiles. Octavia remembers the first time she had been on the receiving end of that smile; She had practically fallen in love. When Clarke gives you such attention, it's almost impossible to resist.

 

“Maybe something furious mixed with something soft then?” Raven says, looking deep in thought. The table quiets for a few moments, until Bellamy suddenly makes a noise of surprised revelation. Octavia can practically see the light bulb above his head. Clarke beats him to it.

 

“Bellamy, if you suggest an emperor or a myth again, I swear, I'm going to name our Jaeger Caesar Salad and paint knives on the back of it.”

 

His eyes narrow. “You wouldn't dare.”

 

“I'll help you.”

 

“Et tu, Octavia?” he asks, staring at her in mock pain. Feigning indifference, Octavia shrugs, and Clarke giggles, along with the rest of the table's laughter. Bellamy shakes his head, his eyes lingering on Clarke's face for just a second longer than necessary, before turning his attention back to the notebook again. Octavia feels a smile stretch across her lips. _Finally._

 

 

~*~

 

 

She catches them by accident at night when she's unable to sleep.

 

She likes to bother Monty and Jasper into playing cards with her, or have a girl's night with Harper and Monroe, but tonight is one of those nights where she needs to be just herself, alone in her own little world. She shuffles her boots down the corridor and into the main hall, taking a left and ending up in the central part of the Shatterdome, right where all the Jaegers are stationed. They tower over her like the magnificent titans they are, reminding her of the mythical gods that Bellamy always used to tell her about, and she can't help but smile up at them, wishing she were one of them.

 

“Did you ever think we would get this far?”

 

Heart in her throat at realising she's not alone, she hurries behind a couple of crates to hide, not wanting to make her presence known. She could recognize that voice anywhere, be it in her sleep or in her dreams. Sure enough, peeking out from her hiding spot confirms the shape of her brother sitting with his legs dangling over a ledge facing their Jaeger, leaning back on his hands next to Clarke, who is mirroring his position. Their backs are turned on Octavia, and she takes a deep breath when she realises she hasn't caught their attention.

 

“Well, the shiner gave me pause,” Bellamy admits, and Clarke giggles, sounding much younger than Octavia has ever heard her.

 

“You definitely deserved it.”

 

“That I did.” he confirms, moving to lay down on the cold floor instead, giving a little sigh as he shifts on his back. Octavia turns to hide behind the crates again, just as she sees Clarke move to mirror his position once again. For a moment, they're both quiet, and Octavia wonders if she should make her presence known. But no, they definitely deserve this piece of quiet time to themselves, especially as of late, with the rising threat of Kaijus on the move again. Everyone is on edge and alert, Kane especially, and most of the cadets are slipping out of their sleeping patterns, getting sloppier with their training and all around being nervous wrecks. A midnight rendezvous would do anyone good with the way things are at the moment.

 

“I did say I was sorry, didn't I?”

 

“You did,” Clarke assures him, giggling a little again. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem, Griffin.”

 

“Ugh, I hate that name.”

 

“Would you rather I go back to Princess?”

 

“Only if I get to call you Grandpa.”

 

“Out of the question,” Bellamy snickers, and Octavia has to clasp a hand over her mouth to choke down a laugh. Clarke is definitely aware of the old soul that is her brother. He's all big and scary at first, only to turn out like the world's most paternal teddy bear. It's kind of funny.

 

“Typhoon Killer.”

 

“No way.”

 

“Raging Tornado.”

 

“Nuh uh.”

 

“Vicious Bunny.”

 

“Okay, now you're just making useless shit up,” Clarke snorts, and Octavia can practically hear her roll her eyes. Bellamy laughs, bright and loud, as if he's forgotten that it's two in the morning, and everyone around them is asleep. The sound reverberates off the walls, echoing a little, and she can hear her brother trying to reign it in and failing miserably.

 

“Princess Arkadia,” he says after he's quieted down somewhat.

 

“Cute, Blake, but I'd rather it was named after both of us.”

 

“Alright, fine. Princess Grandpa.”

 

“Much better,” Clarke laughs, sounding like she's trying very hard to keep it to a minimum. Octavia dares to take a peek around the crates again, looking ahead of her. They're laying side by side, hair fanned out beneath them, bodies shaking with laughter. Their hands are almost touching.

 

“Shit Stain.”

 

“Cluster Fuck,” Clarke counters, and Bellamy sounds like he's choking, turning on his side to press his face against her shoulder to muffle his laughter.

 

“We can't call it Cluster Fuck.”

 

“Well we can't call it Shit Stain either. Looks like we're at an impasse,” Clarke says, turning on her side to watch him. He moves back a little and raises himself up on his elbow, looking down at her.

 

“We could just leave the name alone,” he shrugs.

 

“No way, Fury Lancer is terrible. It doesn't fit us at all.”

  
“And Cluster Fuck does?”

 

“Do you not remember the first time we met?”

 

“Point taken,” Bellamy snickers, and Octavia is more than sure that Clarke is smirking widely, her face bright and happy, “but we could still leave it. _That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet_.”

 

“Are you fucking quoting Shakespeare at me?”

 

“ _The Lady doth protest too much, methinks_.”

 

“Nerd,” Clarke scoffs, sounding the complete opposite of disappointed.

 

Octavia's legs are starting to ache at this point, and her body is finally starting to get heavy with sleep. She manages to sneak away without bringing attention to herself, succumbing to drowsiness as soon as she's back in her own bed. The smile on her face is threatening to split her heart in two, and it's an odd comfort, letting her head hit her pillow with the knowledge that she can feel this happy.

 

 

~*~

 

 

They actually manage to not only find a name, but also bring it up with administration. Miraculously it takes about a four days for the paperwork to go through, and the time is spent re-designing part of the Jaeger.

 

“She's beautiful,” Jasper says in a choked voice, dramatically wiping away an invisible tear.

 

“Shut up, Jasper,” Bellamy mumbles, giving him a halfhearted shove, unable to hide a smile. Octavia grins and throws an arm around Clarke, looking up at the brilliant beast in front of them. It's still metallic and black, still so very much a hand-me-down, but the paint job on the back of it proves just how much of a personal warrior it really is. A pure Blake and Griffin machine, through and through.

 

“He's right though,” Octavia says, and Clarke lets their heads lean against each other.

 

“I know,” she sighs contently, her voice filled with admiration.

 

“I thought you didn't want a mythology name,” Monty asks curiously from his embrace, grasping Miller's forearms wrapped in front of him, Miller's chin resting on his shoulder. Clarke shrugs, and Octavia can feel her turn her head to look at Bellamy.

 

“I may have protested too much.”

 

Octavia turns to look at his brother at that, and yep, he's definitely blushing. She chuckles and turns her head back to the Jaeger, still wondering why, with all the strength between them, did it take that long to pick a name like Titan Fury.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really not funny, but hey, ideas tend to get written down anyway.


End file.
